Hello, internet. Long time no see. I'm finally back with a long overdue chapter for A Certain Strange Addition. Life just gets in the way sometimes, you know? And given the current state of the world, entertainment like this is really important. What else are we all going to do when we can't go to our jobs and we're locking ourselves in our homes?

For that matter, I'd like to make a quick PSA regarding this situation: Please, do not take this situation lightly. This is a very serious issue and making light of it will only lead to people not taking the warnings seriously. I have even had the unfortunate displeasure of having such behavior appear in my reviews. I will not name any names, but their actions were disrespectful and I cannot condone them. If you are one of these individuals, you all know who you are.

For now, let's cover the reviews left behind last chapter. We're only 40 reviews away from 1500. Let's see if we can hit that mark within the next few chapters.

dhart868: I noticed.

vampireharry the 2: Thank you!

Isokage: Glad you liked the fight scene last chapter. As for your questions, they'll all be answered in some capacity within this chapter and the next. There will be passing comments to Liberal Arts City following the Railgang's return to Academy City. As for best kitten, yes.

MrQuestionMark: I see the small deviations I made early on are starting to pay off. Granted, they're currently only paying off in very small ways, but now that we're getting past Volume 6, changes really start to pick up, as you'll see in the end of this chapter. On a related note, the next chapter will be completely original content, so I'm finally going to get a break from adapting and switch to pure creating. The Accelerator manga is definitely going to be covered. Actually, that's the next arc that will be adapted after the original chapter coming next. Still not sure about Astral Buddy as I have yet to get around to reading it.

Nemonobody001: Given the pace that I'm going, Railgun T will be long over by the time I get to the Daihasei. Regardless, I will be switching gears to Swords of a Brother Unlimited after this, so the next chapter of that story will be up soon enough.

ahsoei: Glad you liked it.

Anti-Mage 29: Yes, that was indeed a Leeroy Jenkins reference. I was watching a lot of meme videos at the time. Thanks for the information regarding the Necromancer Arc's placement in the timeline.

Anime-ted Life116: Yeah, lots of bombshells last chapter. And you can bet there will only be more as the story goes on and deviates from the source material.

Vein Bloodborne: Glad you liked the chapter! If you have any ideas you'd like to share, please do, either via a review of a PM.

ArmoredCoreNineBall: Yeah, as of right now the only deviations that feel earned given everything I changed at the roots so far are the small things. But now that we're moving past volume 6, more high impact changes will start rolling in. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long.

Generation Zero: To be fair, I can't really take the credit for how Touma has been forming up so far. A lot of what he's done is in line with his original characterization, the only real difference being that as an official law enforcer, he has protocols he needs to abide by professional support obligated to help when the situation calls for it. In canon, Aleister's plan was to destroy magic, and that's as far as we really know since the man had more secrets than the underside of a college dorm bed. So far, I've been stick pretty close to canon, but I could easily expand upon it given what I have planned so far. When writing the Ellis fight, I wanted to shake up the fight in a way that made it different from canon while still ending in the same result and being believable given the capabilities of the combatants. The last chapter was the result, with Ellis's regeneration negating the damage done by the Level 5 heavy hitters and Index using her knowledge of magic and her friends' abilities to attempt to cripple the golem into submission. Sadly, a case of bad luck forced them into a corner. Shziuri is starting to learn more about magic, and while she doesn't know anything concrete yet, she's getting closer to the truth. As of right now, I have no plans to include Astral Buddy since I have yet to read that particular spin-off. Mikoto's Level 6 Shift attempt is heavy spoiler territory, so I'd rather not reveal that here. Gunha will most likely be handled more or less the same as in canon, though he might get more exposure later.

Guest (1&2): Glad you liked the chapter. I honestly felt it was high time Touma and Yuri properly reunited. Yuri has started on his redemption arc and word of Yuri's accident and meeting Kazakiri act as the catalysts to get Touma seek Yuri out and repair their relationship. Actually, as a result of the Railgang being out of the city for the region field trip to Liberal Arts City, the only addition to the Necromancer Arc will be Touma, with maybe Shizuri and Index on the sidelines.

II (Guest): The movie has been in the plans for a while now, so you don't have to worry about that.

Guest (3): Touma will have a harem, but Mikoto isn't going to be happy about it.

GunsAndMagic: Glad you liked the fight!

0 Jordinio 0: Honestly, I really lucked out last chapter. Ellis was the perfect first Magic Side opponent for the Level 5s with how he constantly regenerated, making all their power practically useless with the damage they dealt being instantly healed. I really wanted to depict Mikoto and Shizuri's relationship as one of an uneasy truce, neither really likes, let alone trusts, the other, but seeing as both are necessary for Touma's happiness, they put up with one another. Shizuri is getting more and more exposure to Magic as time goes on, and eventually that illusion is going to be broken. My Touma has been gaining more combat experience thank to the extra conflicts he finds himself in, so naturally I had to let that combat experience show with more polished maneuvers and tactics.

LegallyRestricted: Yup. As time goes on, Shizuri is going to be exposed to more and more magic, all leading up to something very special I have planned later on. Mikoto could use metal beams from the construction sites, but only Index could keep track of Ellis's regeneration cycles. Plus, even if she could, it would end in the same result; Ellis losing the use of his limbs but gaining just as effective bludgeoning weapons.

Fyr RedNight: Glad you liked them all!

LL (Guest): Touma and Mikoto's relationship has been progressing slowly in very subtle ways. The relationship upgrade will happen some time during one of the Railgun events coming up.

GENO BERSERK: I miss him too. Sadly, there haven't been any events in which he would have any significance. On the bright side, the Daihasei is around the corner, so Aogami should be able to shine then.

mohamadstar94: Glad you liked it.

13thRebels: Such a crossover has actually been planned for a while now. Just looking for a good time to include it.

Kami (Guest): Sorry this took so long.

MaiBilaro: Don't have plans to stop any time soon.

azlil7: Sorry to make you worry.

Mister Phoenix - Deltora: I'm excited to cover those arcs as well. I think you'll like what exactly I have planned for them.

gemma110605: That was actually just me borrowing a bit from the original light novel. You'll see the end result in this chapter.

Well, that's the last of them. Before we finally get to the chapter, I like you all to look up the following song and have it ready for when the time is right. I'll tell you when.

(1)"Chikaigoto ~ sukoshi dake mou ichido ~"

Now then, let's take care of that pesky disclaimer and get on with the story, shall we?

Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.

Chapter 61: Promised Reunion

It took a bit of doing, but Touma had finally managed to figure out a way to get down the hole left behind by the rouge Magician and chase after her. It was a simple matter of riding down the walls of the hole in a downward spiral while gripping a free emergency fire hose to use as a tether. The real challenge was distracting Anti-Skill long enough for him to slip away unnoticed as he conducted acts that were most definitely outside of standard procedure. Thankfully, Uiharu's position as Anti-Skill's best connection to the outside world made her the perfect distraction.

With Anti-Skill distracted and the bare minimum requirements of a plan in hand, Touma reached the bottom of the hole to find himself in one of Academy City's many subway tunnels. Looking both ways, the Level 0 spotted a set of giant footprints leading down one end of the tunnel, unmistakably belonging to the stone golem Sherry Cromwell commanded. With his path charted out in front of him with the subtlety of a neon sign, Touma hopped onto his hoverboard and raced after the invaders targeting his friends. He was not about to let anything happen to them. He would not allow Index or Kazakiri or anyone else come to such a senseless end. They were in danger and Touma was going to do whatever it took to save them.

As Touma continued down the subway tunnel, he heard the sound of stone crumbling in his right ear. Looking up, he saw one of the tunnels concrete support pillars start to crack before collapsing on the tracks. Pushing his hoverboard to its limits, Touma just barely managed to slip under the pillar before it could crush him and bury him alive. As soon as he was clear, the Level 0 stopped in his tracks to examine the damage. Given what he was up against and the impossibility of an Academy City build structure just collapsing on its own, it was clear to Touma that the Magician he was after was responsible.

Those deductions were confirmed when he heard a familiar laugh from farther down the dark tunnel. Stepping out of the shadows was Sherry Cromwell herself, looking rather comfortable to be fighting in her element. Seeing as the Magician was here, Touma immediately got off his hoverboard and looked behind him for any signs of her golem, Ellis, out of fear of a two-part ambush.

"If you're looking for Ellis, I've sent him up ahead." Sherry explained, although the information was far from reassuring, "If my estimations are right, he should be arriving at his target this very moment. Of course, there is the possibility that he's already taken care of the task that I assigned for him."

"Damn you…" Touma growled, throwing the Magician a nasty glare.

"Good, you're angry. In that case, you can stay here a fight me." Sherry mused, "I let the girl go on ahead."

"You mean Kazakiri?" Touma asked, sounding less like for clarification and more like reminding the Magician that 'the girl' had a name.

"You can defeat Ellis, but you won't do so well against me." Sherry declared, completely disregarding Touma's question.

"So why are you so intent on stirring up trouble?" Touma demanded, "Science and Magic are evenly matched right now, aren't they? Why do all of this now?"

"Espers can't use magic without consequences. When it they do, it destroys their bodies from the inside out." Sherry explained, "Were you aware of that?"

"More than you realize." Touma replied, the memory of Tsuchimikado laying in a pool of his own blood haunting him, even if his backstabber of a friend survived.

"Have you ever considered how that wrench in the works was first discovered?" the Magician postulated, "Twenty years ago, the dual use of the powers systems was attempted for the first time in history. A moment arose, its members curious of what would happen if a single person used Magic and Esper Abilities together. They tried to bring about such a person. Can you guess the result?"

Touma had no need to answer back. After all, the only dual power as far as he was aware of was Tsuchimikado, and he's only still alive because one of his powers mitigated the side effects of the process. With how random Esper Abilities could be at times, it was a one in a million chance of it working out.

"Ellis has been my companion for a long time." Sherry continued, "He was an Esper who was brought to Academy City by one of the factions who wanted to experiment with Science and Magic. I had been in charge of teaching him spells, and thanks to them he had become a mess. Knights came to bring down the facility where we were working. Ellis tried to buy me time to escape. He was struck by a mace and died."

'Okay, more complicated than I originally thought.' Touma mused to himself in his head, letting Sherry's story sink in.

"Our two kinds should have remained segregated!" Sherry cried out in anger, "Magicians with Magicians! Scientists with Scientists! With we don't maintain our separate domains, what happened to Elis will continue to repeat again and again, and more lives will be lost!"

"Please! You're talking at cross purposes here! If what you want is to save lives, then why the hell are you starting a war!?" Touma yelled, completely baffled by the Magician's logic, "No, that's now what you're after. You just want to give both sides a scare. You just have to make it so that a war almost breaks out."

"I suppose now you feel like you have the right to judgement!" Sherry snapped, "I won't take it from the likes of you! Wipe that look off you face!"

With a swing of her stick of chalk, a massive array of identical magic circles appeared along the walls and ceiling of the tunnel where Touma stood.

"The ground itself is my ally, and here we are in a tunnel, trapped beneath the earth! This is my territory!" Sherry declared.

On her command, the magic circles all began to glow an eerie red light. The tunnel they were written on began to rumble and crack. It became apparent to Touma that she was about the bring the whole place down on top of them. If he didn't think of something quick, the was going to get crushed.

"Let it all crumble! Let the earth rain down!" the Magician chanted.

As the walls and ceiling continued to show signs of collapsing, Touma evaluated his options for escape. Using Imagine Breaker to destroy all the magic circles was a no-go; there were too many for him to negate fast enough. Running away was also out of the question. Going back would just block his path and bar him from reaching Index and Kazakiri. Racing past Sherry on his hoverboard wouldn't work either since she could have easily set up more magic circles further down the tunnel.

Suddenly, Touma remember something Index had mentioned earlier that day regarding magic. Specifically, she mentioned how direction and position were key to making a proper set up for spells. Looking at Sherry's feet, Touma noticed another magic circle on the floor with a different design from the ones on the walls and ceilings. If the circles were different in design and position, that must have meant they served a different purpose. Given the fact that the whole tunnel was rigged to collapse, the magic circle on the ground could have only served one possible purpose, to make sure Sherry didn't get caught in her own spell.

"Swallow up the fool! Mix him into the mud!"

Equipped with an idea of how Sherry's spell worked, Touma knew exactly what he had to do.

"I will crush you until your body is no more than a memory!"

On her command, the walls and ceiling crumbled and began to fall on top of Touma. Knowing what he had to do, Touma jumped on to his hoverboard and rushed towards Sherry, much to the rogue Magician's surprise. Staying low to the ground, Touma ran his right hand along the floor of the tunnel, negating the magic circle at Sherry's feet as he passed by.

With the circle gone, the ceiling above Sherry began to collapse as well. With her spell compromised, the Magician had no choice but to cancel it herself to avoid getting crushed by her own magic. With Sherry distracted, Touma made a hard 180 degree turn and drew his ODD into Bo Staff Mode. By the time Sherry was able to turn her attention back to Touma, the Level 0 had closed the distance between them and had his ODD pulled back for an attack. With a defiant yell, Touma smacked Sherry right in the face with the metal pole, sending her crashing into a tunnel support pillar. With how destabilized the tune had already been from Sherry's magic, the Magician managed to leave a noticeable crater in the pillar as she fell limp on the ground.

"D-damn you." Sherry wheezed as she struggled to push herself forward and down the tunnel, "I have work to do. I need to set the stage for a stage between the sides. Academy City's guard has become lax in recent years. Even the English Puritan Church has become presumptuous enough to allow their Grimoire Index to be held elsewhere. The stage is set just like it had been for Ellis. His tragedy was because of a situation like this. If this blindness grows to the point where it encompasses all of Academy City as well as the entire church then…"

"What crap." Touma cut Sherry off, stopping her in her tracks, "I get that you're angry. I get that you're grieving. But even so, what has Kazakiri ever done to you!? Or Index for that matter!? How do you think you're going to make anything better by having innocent people pay for what has happened!?"

"You don't understand, damn it!" Sherry growled, turning to face Touma, "It would be easier to just kill all the Magicians and Scientists, but it's more complicated than that! If I had a choice, I wouldn't want the two sides fighting any more than you do! But from the very beginning, all of this had me so conflicted! I'm torn in so many directions, I don't know which to choose."

"Then why complicated it?" Touma asked bluntly, "You've always had one true conviction. Your direction hasn't changed at all. At your core, everything you did was because you regretted the loss of your friend. Did you ever stop to look at my relationship with Index? We're from separate sides, you know. Hell, Index has integrated herself into a whole circle of friends here in Academy City. High level Espers, Judgement Officers, normal students. They all consider her a friend that they would do anything to protect. Did you think our friendship was doomed because we didn't preserve our own territories? We could live together forever and nothing like that would happen. Ask yourself, what give you the right to take our friend away from us!?"

"Intimus 115!" Sherry cried out in defiance, reciting her Magic Name.

As soon as she spoke the words, another magic circle appeared on the wall next to Touma. The circle caused the wall to explode into a dust cloud, temporarily blinding the Level 0. The high school boy's only respite was his hoverboard, which he kicked up to use as a makeshift shield to protect his face from the rubble.

Peering through the dust cloud, Touma could see Sherry rushing at him with tears in her eyes. In her pulled back hand was her stick of chalk, now enveloped in a red glow, most likely enhanced into a weapon with Sherry's magic. In that moment, Touma fully understood the true reason why Sherry was doing all the things she was.

To her own admission, she was conflicted, lost, with no sense of what she wanted and where she was supposed to go. The crimes she's committed up until now were simply her acting out blindly, lashing out at a world she struggled to cope with. It was only now that she was realizing that she was in the wrong and her actions were unjust. And with that realization, she deeply desired someone to intervene and stop her, to stop this madness and end her suffering.

With a clutched right fist and a right hook to the face, Touma was more than glad to comply with her wishes.

Upon impact with Imagine Breaker, Sherry's link with Ellis, whom she had been remotely controlling up until then, was severed. With its connection to its master lost, the golem switched to automatic control, relentlessly continuing to pursue its goal.

With the rouge Magician now incapacitated, Touma quickly hopped on to his hoverboard and continued racing further down the tunnel. All he could do now was ride forward and hope he managed to reach Index and Kazakiri in time.

As the massive stone fist approached the fallen Index, the nun-in-training shut her eyes in preparation for the attack. The sound of flesh being crushed by stone could be heard, but Index herself felt no pain, much to her own confusion.

When she opened her eyes, Index saw something truly strange, and this was coming from the nun-in-training with a photographic memory of 103,000 grimoires wearing a habit held together with safety pins. Using nothing but her own physical strength, Hyouka Kazakiri managed to knock the golem reaching for Index on to its back by dropkicking it in the chest. Once the golem was down, she backflipped to Index's side in a single, impossibly high jump.

"Hyouka!" Index cried out, surprised by her friend's sudden appearance.

"Where did you come from?" Mikoto asked as she and Shizuri started picking themselves off the ground.

"Who the hell is this girl?" Shizuri wheezed.

As the three girls inspected the new arrival, they noticed something odd about her right leg. During the attack, Kazakiri pushed her body just a bit too far, taking a chunk out of her knee and revealing a hollow interior. Moments after landing at Index's side, the wound repaired itself, leaving not a single scratch.

"What… is that?" Index asked in awe.

"Run!" Kazakiri ordered, disregarding Index's question, "Hurry and get out of here! It's too dangerous! You have to go!"

As they spoke, Ellis was already picking itself off the ground. While its mangled left hand and right leg made it difficult for it to get back up, it slow managed to work around its handicaps. Once it was back on its feet, it immediately started regenerating to repair the crater in its chest. However, without the guidance of its master, the golem ran out of control, absorbing more material than necessary to repair the damage.

The winds generated by the sucking force of the golem's magic were so strong that the girls apart from Kazakiri had to grab on to something nailed down just to keep themselves from being sucked in themselves. As more and more material got absorbed, Ellis grew to the point that it towered over many of the smaller construction sites. It got so big that the interference in its previous repairs hardly mattered, once again restoring its arms and legs.

"Come on, let's get out of here, Hyouka!" Index cried out as she held on for dear life.

"I need to stay." Kazakiri insisted, "You take the others and get out of here."

"What do you mean 'stay'?" Index inquired.

"I… I have to stop the monster." the mysterious transfer student admitted.

"Are you crazy!?" Mikoto protested, "We have two Level 5s fighting this thing and we've barely managed to make any lasting damage! If you try to fight this thing by yourself, you'll surely die!"

"It's alright. I'm no more human than this stone monster." Kazakiri confessed, earning a gasp from the girls listening on, "I'm really sorry for not telling you about this until now."

Training its eyes on its new target, Ellis let out a mighty roar as it threw its fist right at Kazakiri. Quickly turning to face the golem, Kazakiri managed to catch the golem's massive fist with both hands. Struggling to hold back the attack, the strange girl's arms began to crack under the pressure and her feet started to dig into the asphalt. Despite the overpowering opposition, Kazakiri refused to let herself be beaten so easily.

With a defiant scream, she repaired the damage forming on her arms and started pushing back, actually managing to force the golem's fist back a few paces.

'To fight a monster, you have to send a monster.' Kazakiri thought to herself as she continued to fight back, 'I accept that now. I can never go back to that place in time I'm so glad it happened, but it isn't where I belong.'

Seeing as its first attack was being effectively blocked, Ellis rose its other fist over its head with a roar and prepared another strike.

'But even so…'

Not too far down the street, a certain boy on a hoverboard burst out of a subway entrance.

'I won't sacrifice the memory without a fight!'

"Hyouka!" Index cried as the golem threw its other fist.

'I have to! Index is my friend!'

"Kazakiri!" Touma yelled defiantly as he rushed on to the scene, his hoverboard at full throttle.

"Touma!" Index, Mikoto, and Shizuri cried out in joy/surprise at his sudden arrival.

"I told you, didn't I?" Touma declared, as he rushed towards the golem's fist, "I told you that it didn't matter if you are human or not. You're still our friend, and there's no way I'm letting it all end like this!"

With a resounding crunch, the fists of flesh and stone collided. For a moment, the flesh fist gave way, its bones cracking and blood vessels leaking. However, a tone of shattering glass rang out through the street as the flesh fist's power took effect. The power of Imagine Breaker broke the bonds of magic holding the stone fist together, causing it to collapse. The rest of the golem followed soon after, crumbling into rubble on the street.

'It's over.' Kazakiri thought to herself as she watched the golem crumble, 'The illusion is done, but it was so nice while it lasted.'

As sunset fell upon Academy City, Touma, Index, Mikoto, and Shizuri stat at the side of the pile of rubble that was Golem Ellis. Shortly after the monster's defeat, Kazakiri had disappeared from the scene. While Touma was concerned for his missing friend, he needed to tend to the friends and family that had gotten roughed up in the struggle. Once the fight was over, Touma contacted Kuroko and Uiharu over a private line their ODDs, instructing them to bring a first aid kit. Soon enough, the two fellow members of Judgement arrived on the scene along with Saten and got straight to work tending to the slightly injured girls.

"What even happened here?" Saten asked, eyeing the massive pile of rubble.

"I'd like to know as well." Shizuri injected as Uiharu tended to her few wounds, "Do you have something you'd like to say, Touma?"

"It was a terrorist attack from an outsider." Touma replied, "Judgement was called in to help with evacuations and I ended up getting caught up in the confrontation."

"Really? What kind of outsider orchestrated all of this?" Shizuri prodded, "Last time I checked, outsiders to Academy City don't normally have supernatural powers to help them form monsters from a pile of rocks. And don't give me some crap like they're generated from some unknown technology that's somehow on par with what can be made in Academy City. I saw your right hand work on that thing."

"We're honestly not entirely sure ourselves." Kuroko lied through her teeth, "The current theory is that the culprit is a Gemstone Esper, a naturally forming Esper born outside of Academy City. Anti-Skill is currently taking them into custody, so we should have a motive before long."

'Of course, given the secret dealings between science and magic going on in the background, I wouldn't be surprised if Sherry got handed over to the magical authorities.' Touma mused in his head, 'I could ask Tsuchimikado about it, but he'd probably give me some super vague answer or just lie to my face.'

Of course, Shizuri didn't believe Kuroko's lie for a second. After everything that had happened, from the girls' nervousness regarding answering her earlier questions, to the golem's focus on Index, it was clear there was more to the story than Touma and his friends were letting on.

While it could be believed that the person responsible was a Gemstone, that didn't explain why they specifically targeted Index, a total nobody in the hierarchy of Academy City. If anything, Mikoto and Shizuri herself would have made more likely targets as they were Level 5s with considerable standing in the city.

And then there was Index herself. As far as Shizuri knew, there was no existing way to influence another person's Esper Ability outside of control the Esper themselves. Takitsubo's AIM Stalker could theoretically manipulate another person's Personal Reality if she became strong enough, but as of right now she couldn't even do basic tracking without overloading her power. Not to mention how Index pulled off her manipulation feat, with a series of English character commands, the same method used by one Ezekiel Mitchell, the agent from the Roman Orthodox Church that infiltrated Academy City just a few days ago.

In their short confrontation, Ezekiel had made Shizuri aware of the existence of another source of supernatural power. Considering both his and Index's close relationship to religion, it could be assumed that this alternative power had some connection to those beliefs and that Index was at least aware of it. Index herself seemed particularly trusting, so getting answers out of her shouldn't be a problem. The real issue would be getting the opportunity to interrogate her with how guarded Touma's friends are with their secrets.

For now, Shizuri would have to accept the younger students' lie, or at the very least pretend to do so. Until she had some way to interrogate Index in private and not immediately draw attention to herself, she would have to let Touma and his friends keep hiding their secrets.

"Alright then. Now that you're all patched up, let's get you three out of here." Uiharu announced, "Anti-Skill and Judgement will be here shortly, and unless you all want get caught in the investigation, I'd suggest we get you all out of here."

"We can't go yet!" Index protested, "Hyouka is missing!"

"That strange girl with the super strength and the body that looked like it could shatter like it was made from porcelain?" Shizuri inquired.

"Now that you mention it, where did she go?" Mikoto asked, scoping the area.

"I think I have a few ideas." Touma offered, looking up at a crane for one of the construction sites.

Sitting alone atop a certain construction site, Kazakiri couldn't help but let tears fall as she longingly looked at the set of photos Index had gifted her. As she sat there, she felt a presence behind her, one that produced great fear in her heart, yet at the same time felt somewhat comforting. It was the unmistakable presence of a friendly high school student with a certain power that would be fatal to her.

"I knew all along." Kazakiri said as she wiped away her tears, "I knew that things would turn out this way. I'd have to be an idiot not to. How else can I expect other people to respond when they find out what I really am."

Touma didn't reply, simply letting the girl let out all of her grievances.

"It isn't what I wanted. Not at all." Kazakiri continued, "But what else could I have possibly done? She's my friend, the only person who has ever called me their friend before, so I wanted to save her."

Getting up from her seat on the edge of the construction site, Kazakiri turned to look Touma in the eye.

"But I wish… I wish I didn't have to lose her now, that's all." the regretful girl admitted, burying herself in Touma's chest for comfort, "I wish she didn't have to be afraid of me. But, I had to. I had to! I couldn't stand to see my friend get hurt, so I showed her that I'm a monster! There was just no other way! I just stood up to that giant with all that I could! I wanted us to be friends forever! We got along so well, I was sure we could be, but now… now that obviously isn't going to happen, huh? I made that sacrifice. I had to save her! Even if she hates me, I couldn't stand by and let her die!"

"Does it hurt? Are you sad?" Touma asked as Kazakiri cried into his chest, "If that's the case, then you're no monster at all."

Taken a back by Touma's words, Kazakiri pulled away from his chest to see a calming smile on his face.

"Now, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure monsters don't experience those kinds of emotions." Touma continued, making sure to keep his right hand away from the odd girl, "You're just as human as I am. You can quote me on that. And one more thing. Some friendships don't go way that easily."

Stepping aside, Touma allowed Kazakiri to see past him. To her surprise, Saten and Uiharu were standing not too far away, with Mikoto, Kuroko, and Index teleporting on the scene not a second later. As soon as her and Index made eye contact, Kazakiri completely froze up, unsure of how to react.

"She's here?" the strange girl whispered.

Upon seeing her friend, Index immediately started tearing up, on the verge of a full breakdown within seconds.

"But how? There's no way." Kazakiri denied, unable to believe what was transpiring before her, "This must just be another illusion."

With tears still in her eyes, Index's face morphed into a pout as she started stomping towards Kazakiri, silently passing by the rest of her friends to meet her. All the while, the other girls simply smiled in approval as Index moved forward.

"I'm just a thing, a creature. How could she be looking at me like that?" Kazakiri inquired, "That's the kind of look you give someone you really care about. You don't get that angry unless you're a friend and you'll know you'll make up."

"So maybe you're a little strange. Your body's put together differently than the rest of us, and you can do some things the rest of us can't. So what?" Touma reasoned.

As soon as she was within a few meters of the odd girl, Index broke into a full sprint, tackling Kazakiri in a heartfelt bearhug.

"We're all weird in our own way." Touma summarized, "Looks to me that you're still Index's friend, wouldn't you say?"

Kazakiri gave no reply, simply enjoying Index's embrace.

"Are you happy with yourself?" Tsuchimikado asked the man in the tank, "You are now even closer to completion of a key to controlling the Imaginary Number School District's Five Element Agency. Honestly, sometimes I wonder just what exactly you're up to. You figured out that the Imaginary Number School District was actually an AIM Diffusion Field. Who would have dreamed that up? Then, you take it a step forward and implant a sense of self into the key to help it materialize? Are you crazy or a genius? I'd really like to know what you're thinking, Aleister."

Looking out at the man in the tank, Tsuchimikado noticed the General Superintendent had one of his signature unreadable expressions. Even for a seasoned spy like Tsuchimikado, the leader of Academy City was a hard one to read.

"Wait a second. The Imaginary Number School District is a collection of power that exists in a different realm than humanity. The life that is formed as a result of that power…" Tsuchimikado mused, the pieces starting to fall into place, "Such a life could only be described as an Angel. And if there is a whole city like the Imaginary Number School District populated by beings like Kazakiri, beings that are by all means Angels, that means… So that's what you're doing, you old schemer! You're creating an Artificial Heaven, aren't you!?"

"You'll find that I have no such comments on topics such as Heaven and Angels." the man in the tank replied, not a hint of uncertainty.

"Oh, that's rich." Tsuchimikado replied, calling the man out, "No one knows more about it than you do, so don't even try, Aleister Crowley, the Greatest Magician in History."

Aleister showed no reaction whatsoever, a clear indicator to Tsuchimikado of who exactly was in control of the conversation.

"This situation had been designed to gradually derail the stability of the world. You lured a member of the English Puritan Church here and then saw to it that she was gotten rid of." Tsuchimikado deduced as he started to make his way out, "I won't pretend to know what your ultimate plan is. However, if you're planning on continuing to use Imagine Breaker, I'll leave you with one last warning. Even as weakened as they are, do not cross the Kamijou Clan. That right hand that is their mark in history has more power than anyone can imagine, and it can devour you and your world should he ever decide to turn it on you."

With his piece said, Tsuchimikado walked out, leaving Aleister alone in his tank yet again.

"Regrettably, the world that I believed in fell apart a very long time ago." Aleister said to himself, almost as if in mourning.

Having reaffirmed their friendship, the group of students had made a visit to a certain hospital to get a quick examination for whatever wounds they had collected during their struggle with Sherry and Ellis. Miraculously, Touma was one of the few who was not too badly injured, something he was very proud of and proceeded to gloat to his regular practitioner. Unfortunately, several people in the room along with him didn't feel the same way, namely Shizuri, Komoe, and Himegami, who wasted no time reprimanding him for his recklessness and violation of Disciplinary Committee regulation.

While Touma was receiving an earful from several of the women in his life, the rest of the women in his life were gathered in the lobby, patiently waiting for Touma to be let out. However, in the midst of their wait, Kazakiri stated to fizzle out of existence, like a staticky image on a broken television.

"Okay, that was weird!" Saten cried in a panic, "What was that?"

"I'm sorry. It's a bit complicated." Kazakiri apologized, "The best way that I can explain is that my body is like a big mass of Psychic energy. Nothing I do can change the fact that I'm an unstable being. It's just the way I was created."

"Is that why you couldn't touch Touma's right hand?" Index asked, earning a nod from Kazakiri.

"It makes sense." Uiharu noted, "That AIM Burst from earlier this summer reacted pretty adversely to Imagine Breaker, and Kazakiri's body seems to be constructed in a similar manner."

"Yes. A single touch would have erased me from existence without a trace." Kazakiri explained, "Speaking of which, I noticed something about his right hand. I can't exactly put it into words, but I get the sense that there's more to it than just negating Esper Abilities."

"Yeah, we got that impression too." Mikoto nodded, "Ever since we met him, we've tried to learn more about his power, only to find even more questions."

"I'm sure we'll find the answers eventually." Kuroko mused.

"Well, it's about time for me to go." Kazakiri said as she stood up from her seat.

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Uiharu asked in shock.

"Couldn't you at least wait until Kamijou gets back?" Saten implored.

"I'm sorry, everyone." the unusual girl apologized, "I wish I could stay with you all, I really do. However, it would I appear that I can no longer sustain my physical form for the time being."

"Please don't go!" Index begged on the verge of tears.

"Come on, there's nothing to worry about." Kazakiri said reassuringly, turning to face the girls as her body started to fade away, "Don't forget, my body is composed from the combined powers of many different people, including all of you. I may disappear for a while, but it's not like I'm dying. It just means you won't be able to see me. But even though you might not know it, I'll always be by your side, no matter what happens."

As Kazakiri continued to fade away, Index could feel tears starting to fall from her cheeks. However, she quickly found those tears wiped dry by a Gekota handkerchief. Looking to her left, Index saw that Mikoto had gotten out of her seat and started wiping away the nun-in-training's tears. Once those tears were dry, she placed a firm yet comforting hand on Index's shoulder and flashed an encouraging smile.

In that moment, Index knew exactly what Mikoto was trying to say. Just as saying goodbye was painful for Index, it was painful for Kazakiri as well. Right now, Kazakiri needed Index to be strong so they could part ways without any regrets. Just because they were saying goodbye now doesn't mean they wouldn't get to say hello again later.

Having received the message loud and clear, Index turned back towards Kazakiri, whose body was nothing more than a couple of specks of light now.

"Hyouka," Index called out, barely keeping anymore tears from falling, "Promise me we'll all have fun together again."

"Of course." Kazakiri replied, her disembodied voice echoing throughout the hospital waiting room.

With that, the girl known as Hyouka Kazakiri had disappeared. She wasn't gone, per se, but for now, she would remain hidden, another mystery of the world.

"Hey girls." Touma greeted as he and Shizuri walked into the waiting room, "Where's Kazakiri."

"You just missed her." Kuroko replied, "She had to leave for now."

"I see." Touma nodded, "Are you okay, Index?"

"I'll be fine." Index answered with a pained smile, "She promised we'd have fun together again someday. We'll definitely have our promised reunion."

"Yeah," Touma mused, sadly smiling to himself, "a promised reunion."

"Well, I'm pretty much beat for the day." Saten yawned, "I think its about time we all head home. We've all got a busy day tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Mikoto yelped in realization, "The regional fieldtrip is tomorrow! We're going to need all the energy we can get for the trip."

"Am I the only one feeling like we forget something?" Uiharu asked quizzingly, holding her chin in thought.

"My living arrangements?" Index deadpanned, her perfect memory easily allowing her to recall what everyone else had managed to forget.

"Crap! That's right!" Touma cried, surprised out of his musings, "With everything that was happening, we completely forgot to arrange for someone to take care of Index while Saten left the dorm unoccupied! What are we going to do!? It's way to late to spring this on some authority figure we can trust! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!?"

"She could stay with us." Shziuri suggested, inserting herself into the conversation.

"Eh?" the juniors in the room asked simultaneously.

"I mean, I don't exactly know what's going on, but we have room in our apartment for one more." the Level 5 clarified with a shrug, "If Index here needs a place to stay for a little bit, we can easily house her for a while."

"Wait, really?" Index asked.

"And you're totally fine with that?" Touma added.

"I'm the one that suggested it, aren't I?" Shizuri replied.

Miraculously, everyone's problems for the day were coincidentally resolved.

"Chikaigoto ~ sukoshi dake mou ichido ~" by IKU [Start]

The next day, everything had more or less returned to normal. That morning, Mikoto, Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten were making final preparations for their trip to Liberal Arts City. Meanwhile, Touma went to school as per any other school day while Shizuri watched Index at home, the nun-in-training and her kitten having spent the night on the living room couch. Everything had been more or less as to be expected, save for the absence of Tsuchimikado, who had played hooky to take up another of his secret operations. However, there was one difference in Touma's usual school day schedule.

That day, once school had let out, Touma made a detour to a nearby convenience store. While there, he tried to find a box of sharable ice pops. Just as his expected with his rotten luck, he failed to find any, instead settling for picking up several cans of his favorite black coffee and a copy of the light novel Heavy Object by Kazuma Kamachi.

Once his purchased was made, Touma made his way over to his usual hospital, where he was greeted by Heaven Canceller at the visitor's hall. The frog faced doctor gave the high school boy a curt nod before gesturing him to follow, leading Touma down hallways that they both knew so well. Eventually, the two found themselves in front of a hospital room door, one that just so happened to be right next door to the room Touma always found himself in.

With a final nod, Heaven Canceller left Touma to his devices, excusing himself to attend to other patients. With a bag of coffee and a light novel in his left hand and sweat quickly accumulating in his right, Touma gave the door a quick knock before letting himself in.

When he opened the door, Touma was greeted with a sight not too uncommon in a hospital. Sitting in the bed was a high school boy with bandages around his head with a young girl watching him from her seat next to the bed. What made the sight unusual was the boy's white hair and the girl's uncanny resemblance to a younger Mikoto Misaka.

By opening the door, Touma had earned the attention of both occupants of the room. Both the boy and the girl looked at him in surprise, but while the girl's face expressed a curious sort, the boy's own expression was clearly one of shock. For what felt like an eternity, the two boys eyed on another, both unable to properly come of with a response. Eventually, Touma his voice and became the first to speak up.

"Hey, Yuri."

"Hey, Touma."

Special End Card Segment: Animan Temple

"Welcome back to the Animan Temple!" Animan cheered from inside a plastic bubble, "I'm you host, Animan von Elysium X, along with Priestess Number 1, Aisa Himegami!"

"Are the giant plastic bubbles really necessary?" Himegami asked, clearly displeased with being stuffed in her own bubble.

"Of course!" Animan insisted, "With all the chaos surrounding the pandemic, don't you think isolation via sanitary plastic bubble is the perfect way to deal with in?"

"We live in a mountain top Shinto temple that no one ever visits, completely isolated from the rest of the world." Himegami deadpanned.

"Anyhoo, it would appear that other worlds need our attention so this world will be put on the back burner for a bit." Animan announced, completely ignoring Himegami's arguement, "But when we come back, we'll have a very special chapter in the form of 'Other Side'!"

"Until then." Himegami said, waving goodbye.